| |
Disease |
Further signs
that suggest
this problem |
What the vet
will need to
reach a diagniosis |
Treament |
| Nesting problem |
|
|
|
|
| 1. Inside of nests stained with yellow diarrhoea
of nestling, youngster stunted, increased death rate first few days of
life |
E. coli diarrhoea |
|
Droppings, microscopic examination ,staining and/or
culture |
Antibiotics. Neomycin. Sulfa AVS in water and soft
foods (egg and biscuit, canary starter) |
| 2. Pale, weak youngsters, hen can be found dead
in nest |
Blood-sucking mites |
Crusty pinpoint feeding sites visible, particularly
under the wings |
Recently dead or unwell nestlings |
Moxidectin. Spray cages with Permethrin prior to
breeding |
| 3. Nestlings dying, 10 – 20 days of age, many
youngsters affected and dying |
Circo virus |
Black spot visible in abdomen, which is an enlarged
gall bladder |
Sick or recently dead youngster for autopsy, tissue
collection and histology |
Management – break in breeding, thorough clean
of aviary, identify carrier birds |
Juvenile
less than
1 year of age |
|
|
|
|
| 1. Generally unwell and dying birds |
Atoxoplasma,( a type of coccidian) |
Birds usually 2 – 9 months, high mortality
(up to 80%), blue spot (swollen liver) visible through abdomen |
A sick or recently dead bird for autopsy. Parasite
eggs occasionally found in droppings |
Sulfachlor pyrazine reduces but does not eliminate
egg shedding. Given for 5 days per week until the birds are well |
| Any age |
|
|
|
|
| Main symptom respiratory distress |
Pox |
Crusty wart-like lesions on non-feathered parts
of body and/or yellow plaques inside mouth. Difficulty in breathing,
high mortality rate. |
Appearance often diagnostic. Autopsy and histology |
Management. Separate birds, control insects, treat
secondary diseases |
| |
Blood-sucking mites |
Pale and lethargic Crusty pinpoint feeding sites
visible, particularly under the wings |
Examination of an unwell bird, or a recently dead
bird. |
Moxidectin. Spray cages with Permethrin |
| |
Air sac mites |
Loss of condition, cough, sneeze, nasal discharge,
unable to sing, response to treatment |
Dead bird for autopsy, droppings, unwell live bird. |
Moxidectin |
| |
Trichomoniasis (canker) a flagellate |
Weight loss, regurgitation, dried saliva around
beak |
Crop flush from live bird |
Turbosole, Flagyl |
| |
Bacterial infection, eg Enterococcus faecalis |
Red watery eyes, nasal discharge |
Live bird for bacterial culture |
Antibiotics, review hygiene |
| Main symptom diarrhoea and weight loss |
Coccidiosis |
Huddled, fluffed and lethargic |
Droppings collected from sick bird in late afternoon |
Baycox (3ml/1L for 48 hours), protein supplements
(sprouted seed, seeding grasses, soft foods) |
| |
Megabacteria |
Fluffed and underweight |
Droppings, Autopsy of recently dead bird if available |
Acids (citric acid 1tsp/6L), thorough clean of aviary,
Amphoteracin B to sick birds. Identify genetically susceptible birds. |
| |
Salmonella (a bacteria) |
More prevalent in wet times of year, outside aviary,
low hygiene, exposure to mice or wild bird droppings |
Autopsy and culture. Pooled dropping samples, checked
3 – 6 weeks after therapy to check success. Canaries do not become
carriers of Salmonella (common in other birds) |
Antibiotics, usually Baytril. Provision of chopped
greens and soft foods will help prevent dehydration, multivitamins in
water, hygiene |
| |
Yersinia (a bacteria) |
As above |
Autopsy and culture |
As above |
| |
Other bacteria, eg E. coli |
Some birds may have an infection elsewhere, eg in
eyes or sinus |
As above. |
As above |
| |
Chlamydia |
Often also have conjunctivitis and nasal discharge,
low mortality |
Throat swab or cloacal swab or autopsy |
Doxycycline (Doxyvet 1tsp/2L), Baytril (1drop twice
daily per bird or 10ml/1L of drinking water) |
| Sudden death |
Toxic exposure |
May have salivation, diarrhoea, difficulty breathing |
Detailed history |
|
| |
Starvation |
Blood in droppings, someone else looked after the
birds |
|
|
| Miscellaneous |
Scaly face. Knemicoptes mite infection. |
Crusty lesions on face and legs. |
Appearance often diagnostic. Microscopic examination
of crusts. |
Moxidectin (2mg/ml , 1drop to effected birds twice
at a 3 week interval) |